Plumbing Problems

Ken Anderson

Ken Anderson

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Staff member
I don't remember if this occurred before the last forum went down, but I think it happened while it was down. As I detailed in the previous forum, I suffered a strangulated hernia in the late 1990s that came pretty close to killing me, and resulted in a bungled operation and a drug-resistant bacterial infection.

Not so long ago, while the forum was down, I think, my plumbing stopped up, probably because I had been eating a lot of dried blueberries. I ended up in the hospital with a gastric tube and suction unit, trying to clear things up. The surgeon didn't want to do surgery, given the botched operations I had already gone through, describing the likelihood of it being "a very messy surgery."

So, they kept the gastric tube in and the suction pumping. If you've ever had a sewer line clog and used a drain bladder kit to clear it, it was a bit like that, only rather than the throb of pressure trying to move the plug along, it involved a suction unit trying to bring it back the other way.

After a little more than twenty-four hours of that, it worked. The pressure was relieved, and it wasn't long before things would move in the right direction, as well. However, I will be on a low-residue diet for the rest of my life. This means that I can't eat the stuff that would ordinarily be healthy for people. For example, I have to look for stuff with no fiber or low fiber, juices have to be no-pulp, and there are a lot of things that I can't eat. I tried a fajita plate at a new Mexican restaurant in Bangor a couple of days ago and was afraid I'd be back in the hospital. It tasted good, but it wasn't worth the pain and the worry. Mostly, I eat fish and chicken, which is okay because I like them. I can have ground beef once a week if it is finely ground, and some of the things that are generally not good for me are tolerable in very small amounts.
 
Ken Anderson said:
I don't remember if this occurred before the last forum went down, but I think it happened while it was down. As I detailed in the previous forum, I suffered a strangulated hernia in the late 1990s that came pretty close to killing me, and resulted in a bungled operation and a drug-resistant bacterial infection.

Not so long ago, while the forum was down, I think, my plumbing stopped up, probably because I had been eating a lot of dried blueberries. I ended up in the hospital with a gastric tube and suction unit, trying to clear things up. The surgeon didn't want to do surgery, given the botched operations I had already gone through, describing the likelihood of it being "a very messy surgery."

So, they kept the gastric tube in and the suction pumping. If you've ever had a sewer line clog and used a drain bladder kit to clear it, it was a bit like that, only rather than the throb of pressure trying to move the plug along, it involved a suction unit trying to bring it back the other way.

After a little more than twenty-four hours of that, it worked. The pressure was relieved, and it wasn't long before things would move in the right direction, as well. However, I will be on a low-residue diet for the rest of my life. This means that I can't eat the stuff that would ordinarily be healthy for people. For example, I have to look for stuff with no fiber or low fiber, juices have to be no-pulp, and there are a lot of things that I can't eat. I tried a fajita plate at a new Mexican restaurant in Bangor a couple of days ago and was afraid I'd be back in the hospital. It tasted good, but it wasn't worth the pain and the worry. Mostly, I eat fish and chicken, which is okay because I like them. I can have ground beef once a week if it is finely ground, and some of the things that are generally not good for me are tolerable in very small amounts.
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Sorry you had such a rough time @Ken Anderson
 
My goodness, that's bad, I hope you can find something that will help with this.
As we age if it's not one thing, it's another?
 
Ken Anderson said:
This means that I can't eat the stuff that would ordinarily be healthy for people. For example, I have to look for stuff with no fiber or low fiber, juices have to be no-pulp, and there are a lot of things that I can't eat. I tried a fajita plate at a new Mexican restaurant in Bangor a couple of days ago and was afraid I'd be back in the hospital. It tasted good, but it wasn't worth the pain and the worry. Mostly, I eat fish and chicken, which is okay because I like them. I can have ground beef once a week if it is finely ground, and some of the things that are generally not good for me are tolerable in very small amounts.
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Oh, you poor man! After I had colon cancer surgery, my Doc told me I would have similar or opposite problems for about six months while my body got used to having two and a half feet less colon. But he didn't really go into any detail on what he was talking about. And I thought that the six months stretched into two years. The first few months I couldn't eat much of anything. Cindy was an excellent cook, almost Chef level, and she tried so many different things and all I could eat was peanut butter and Ritz crackers. Before I ate anything, I had to make 100% sure the facilities were available. And it seemed to be getting better after awhile. But when the six months were over, almost to the day, we went to a Relay For Life "Survivors Dinner", and kicked up again. But it was a fabulous Italian dinner made by Sons of Italy, and was the first thing I ate in months that I actually enjoyed, so it was well worth it.

After nearly two years I went to see my Doc and told him I was still sick every day. So he did an X-Ray to make sure nothing was left in my innards that that would be the cause, because he had done thousands of similar surgeries over his 40 year career and he had never seen "Recovery" last longer than six months. I called it the "Aftermath." So we discussed everything you can imagine trying to figure it out. It turned out to be from a Diabetes medication called Bydureon. (Think Ozembic, Trulicity, Victoza, Mounjaro, Rybelsus, etc., as they are all essentially the same.) I stopped taking it and the problems went away after just two weeks. It took awhile, but not too long after that I got back to where I could eat most of the things I had before the surgery. But I can't have a hamburger once in awhile. But that's no big loss as I don't much read me anyway.

Anyway. I just wanted to say I know how you feel, and I hope you feel better soon. Hang in there...
 
Sorry for your issues, @Ken Anderson . I think many of us have some kind of "gastro" issues as we age. For me, I had gallbladder surgery several years ago and since then I can't tolerate a lot of greasy foods. I know if I eat a piece of sausage I had better plan to be close to a bathroom. Of course I still occasionally eat greasy foods but I know what the "outcome" will be. :poop::D
 
When I read the title of the thread, that 25’ rechargeable endoscope w/ a 5” screen I recently acquired partnered along with a 1/4” x 50’ drill driven snake came to mind and might be something good to write about.
Wrong plumbing !

Seriously though, I have nothing that I can relate your experiences to and feel bad for you for having to go through the whole ordeal plus that hefty change in diet to stay reasonably healthy.
We’re raising you up in prayer brother in hopes and with faith that you will have no reoccurrences and keep getting better!
 
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I had a coworker go through something similar. Hi intestinal track was completely plugged. He got an ambulance ride right after lunch. I can't recall what dietary changes he made, other than he was always munching on green peppers and other raw veggies at his desk.
 
John Brunner said:
I had a coworker go through something similar. Hi intestinal track was completely plugged. He got an ambulance ride right after lunch. I can't recall what dietary changes he made, other than he was always munching on green peppers and other raw veggies at his desk.
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Yo Bro !!! Really glad to see ya here!!!
I was telling Yvonne that maybe your “plumbing” made a comeback and was giving you problems or more than just problems.
 
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